Field of the Invention
The present application relates to a display device, and more particularly, to a three-dimensional (3D) image display device for displaying a three-dimensional stereoscopic image.
Discussion of the Related Art
A three-dimensional (3D) image display device (i.e., a stereoscopic image display device) displays a 3D image using a stereoscopic technique or an autostereoscopic technique.
The stereoscopic technique, which uses a parallax image of left and right eyes of a user with a high stereoscopic effect, includes a glass method and a non-glass method both of which have been put to practical use. In the glass method, a left and right parallax image is displayed on a direct view-based display device by changing a polarization direction of the left and right parallax image, and a stereoscopic image is implemented using polarized glasses. In the non-glass method, an optical plate, such as a parallax barrier or the like, for separating an optical axis of the left and right parallax image is installed in front of or behind a display screen.
As shown in FIG. 1, the glass method may employ a patterned retarder 3 for converting polarization characteristics of light incident on the polarization glasses (not shown) on a display panel 2. In the glass method, a left eye image and a right eye image are alternately displayed on the display panel 2, and the polarization characteristics of light incident on the polarized glasses are converted by the patterned retarder 3. Through this operation, the glass method implements a 3D image by spatially dividing the left eye image and the right eye image. In FIG. 1, a backlight unit 1 irradiates light to the display panel 2.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the display panel 2 includes an upper substrate 2A and a lower substrate 2B. Pixels are formed at crossings of data lines and gate lines on a display area of the lower substrate 2B, and data pads extending from data lines and gate pads extending from gate lines are formed on a pad area at an outer side of the display area. The data pads are electrically connected with source integrated circuits (ICs) 5, and the gate pads are electrically connected with gate ICs 7. The source ICs 5 are mounted on source tape carrier packages (TCPs) 4 of a tape film type, which is then connected to the data pads through a tape automated bonding (TAB) process. Hereinafter, the portion of the source TCPs 4 at which the source ICs 5 are connected with the data pads will be referred to as a ‘source TAB’. The gate ICs 7 are mounted on the gate TCPs 6 of a tape film type, which is then connected to the gate pads through a TAB process. Hereinafter, the portion of the gate TCPs 6 at which the gate ICs 7 are connected with the gate pads will be referred to as a ‘gate TAB’. Polarization films POL are attached to an upper surface of the upper substrate 2A and a lower surface of the lower substrate 2B.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the patterned retarder 3 is attached on the polarization film POL of the upper substrate 2A with the substrate made of glass as a base layer. To achieve vibration resistance or impact resistance of the patterned retarder after being attached to the display panel 2, the patterned retarder 3 generally has a size which is equal to or larger than that of the display panel 2. Namely, in the attached state, a horizontal size (X′) of the patterned retarder 3 is larger than a horizontal size (X) of the display panel 2, and a vertical size (Y′) of the patterned retarder 3 is larger than a vertical size (Y) of the display panel 2.
In this case, however, when the patterned retarder 3, which is larger than the display panel 2, and the display panel 2 are attached, even if the source TAB or the gate TAB is damaged or defective after attachment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a repairing process cannot be performed. As a result, if the source TAB or the gate TAB is damaged or defective after the patterned retarder 3 and the display panel 2 are attached, the display panel 2 having the patterned retarder 3 attached thereto must be discarded, thereby increasing costs.